


Electricity

by Nightalp



Category: Eureka, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Nick Fury, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Distance, Emotions, Emotions everywhere, F/M, Finding Love, Finding Oneself, Frozen-AU, Happy Ending, M/M, being smart doesn't mean you're always right, but they are better than no friends at all, friends with bad influence, losing someone due to a magical (scientical?) coma, meaning she's going to marry someone else, or can't be hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-08-08
Packaged: 2018-01-10 15:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightalp/pseuds/Nightalp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Stark-family always lead the biggest company in the country. <br/>So it shouldn't be something special when Nathan Stark celebrates his coming-of-age and taking-over of Global Dynamics with a science fair, does it? But there is more to it, as his younger brother Tony has to find out. </p><p>And so when the secret behind the falling-out between the brothers is found out he has to find a way through the wall his brother sheltered his heart behind as well as a way to make his people see that Nathan is not the monster they paint him as. <br/>Seeing as Nathan's secret ability brought great problems over the land, this is not going to be easy. But at least he has a soldier from another time and a prince from another land that will help him on this way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolog 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RavenX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenX/gifts).



> So, that's the birthday present for a friend of mine, because she keeps demanding stories of me and she loves Steve/Tony. Hope you love it!
> 
> Little warning before: I have only seen the beginning of Eureka, so I'm probably going to take liberties with the characters. And the artifact, most of all.

Tony was excited. _Really_ excited. _Really really_ excited. _Much_ to excited to sleep now.

Tomorrow his father would take him and his brother to the greatest yearly scientific convention _in the whole world_ and he couldn't think of something cooler than that. He had been begging his parents for two years now to let him go, and yet, _at last_ , in the age of five they had actually deemed him old enough to attend.

So really - how could they believe him to be _tired_ right now?

Clutching his toy-dog to his chest - he _never_ went anywhere without Dummy - he rolled out of his bed and patted barfooted to the door. His parents would surely scold him for that - he knew how important it was to wear shoes, especially now that the early fall-wind creeped cold up from the labs, despite the best central-heating that Eureka could provide - but only if they found out, and when he was careful they wouldn't ever suspect anything.

As quiet as possible he opened and then closed the door, then ran down the floor to his brother's room at the other end of the corridor.

As he had expected his older brother was obediently lying in bed, trying to sleep. Not for a moment did Tony believe that he was _truly_ asleep - he had seen his look over the dinner-table, and Nathan had been as excited as him.

He ran over to the bed, climbed on it and flung himself over his brother's prone form. "Stand up!", he demanded. "Nate, come play with me!"

Typically for him Nathan barely even opened an eye. “Go away, Tony!”, he groaned. “Let me sleep.”

As if that had ever succeeded in persuading Tony to leave him alone.

“Oh, come on, Nate", he whined, then grinned as inspiration struck him. "Everyone is sleeping", he tempted. "We could go down in the lab and play with Loki."

As he had expected the mountain made of blankets moved and was then thrown away. His brother had never been able to resist the lure his own creations presented.

Grinning he looked up in his brother’s victorious face. "Okay.", accepted Nathan. "But you have to slip on a jacket" Another look down to Tony’s feet. "And a pair of my socks. That’s much to cold this way."

Tony complied. He was up to anything, as long as his brother would play with him. "Okay", he said and pulled on the socks that Nathan threw his way as well as the pullover he gave him.

But that was all he had the patience for to endure and as soon as they were both ready he grabbed his brother’s hand and dragged him down to the lab they shared. "Come, Nate!", he urged him forward. "If you continue to dawdle the night will be over before we reach the lab!"

His brother just laughed and then followed a bit faster.

Eventually they reached the room they both shared. It was about as big as a normal lab, with a couple of desks and shelves, some built-in cupboards and two PCs. There also were a forge they weren’t allowed to use without a grown-up as supervisor (and Tony _not at all_ until he was _six_ ), chemical equipment, a gigantic Holoscreen, a door leading to a storage room and a vent. Not to mention the white boards, tools and everything else. There was even a sterile compartment.

Tony had never been to another kid’s house (or another scientist’s lab, for that matter) but he had often heard his father’s scientists speak about the lab in awed voices, as if it was something special, so he assumed that the lab was pretty cool stuff and something to show-off to other kids should he ever need to speak to them (he didn’t think he ever would - he had Nate, so why would he need _them_?)

Loki, the robot his brother had assembled with his gift - and wasn't it a really cool gift? He could move anything he wanted with it, and he could use the scrap metal lying around, moulding them into shape and putting them into place by ... by _magic_! And not only that - what his brother made that way seemed to be sentient, or why else would Loki be this lively?

Tony slipped into the lab shoes they kept in one of the cupboards while a soft command of his brother woke the machine up.

"It's in the middle of the night!", Loki immediately complained. "Can't a guy sleep when he's tired?"

Nathan snorted. "You never are tired", he said. "Worst, you run out of energy."

Loki grinned. "Yep", he said. "You sure that's not what happened? I had a very busy day today." He still detached himself from the charging station.

"We weren't down in the lab", Tony protested and jumped out of the way when the machine run to Nathan and sprang up to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. 

"Exactly", Loki said. "I had a lot of time to prank the grown-ups out there."

Nathan groaned while Tony laughed. 

Loki was prone to cause mischief, and everyone at Global Dynamics knew not to underestimate the just one meter-high robot, that with his black hair and green-eyes and the rosy skin-equivalent almost looked like a normal child. But if he was a child then one whose parents hadn't been successful in teaching him manners. He was always causing trouble - never anything dangerous, or really awful, but the small annoyances were bad enough, not to mention what he did to those that picked on his creator or the little brother.

And always it was Nathan that got the problems, because it was his machine (and yes, there were those that demanded Loki should be disassembled, but neither Tony nor Nathan wanted to consider it, and fortunately their parents didn't demand it).

"I hope you made sure that no-one could pin it on you", Nathan warned.

Loki just grinned and hopped up on a desk (Tony really envied him for this ability; even knowing that Loki was just hydraulic and springs he couldn't stop from wishing he were able to do that himself, too, but with his short legs he would have to use one of the smaller desks cranked down for him or wait for his body to get bigger), carefully not touching the experiment being laid out there.

Then Loki spotted Dummy and his grin became even wider and a bit too wicked. "Are we going to play with the dog again?", he asked and instinctively Tony pressed Dummy harder against his chest - since that one time Loki had been angry enough with him to steal his toy he hadn't brought Dummy down to the lab again. Of course he had to forget that today,

"Loki!", Nathan said sternly and Loki ducked with a chastised expression on his face no-one was ever going to believe.

Save behind his brother Tony glared at Loki. He was stealing all the attention for himself, but this shouldn't be about his brother's robot. After all, while he liked Loki, the machine had just been a pretext to lure his brother down. "You wanted to show me how to build a hybrid-engine for Dummy's car!", he reminded Nathan with a cheeky grin.

His brother grinned, too. "I knew it. You just wanted me down here to play with your car.", he teased.

Tony wasn't the least bit apologetic, but then neither of them expected it. And it wasn't as if Nathan wasn't happy showing off his abilities and knowledge.

It didn't take Tony long to understand the functioning of the motor, nor did he need long to build one of his own (and it was really useful to have a brother that can shape the pieces that weren't available in the lab; it would have taken hours if not _days_ otherwise). 

But this way they managed to play with the car within the hour, setting Dummy in it while Tony ran behind them and one of Nathan's pterodactyls flew over them, circling like an eagle in the stale lab air. It was one of the best days Tony had had for a long time - between school and his father taking him to the official labs Nathan didn't have as much time for him as he used to have - and he enjoyed it as much as he could.

He was running after the car, Nathan laughing behind him - and telling him to not run so fast, but, _really_? Why should Tony slow down? - when Loki, who had been sitting on one of the desks, his legs dangling over the edge, suddenly shouted: "Stop!"

Tony couldn't work out why, not fast enough to avoid crashing in the desk at least. And it wouldn’t have been that bad, no, not at all - he had been crashing in desks and trees and anything else for five years now without lasting damage - if not for the fact that it was the desk with the experiment on it.

The chemical experiment.

That their father warned them not to touch without him.

That even Loki - careless, reckless Loki - avoided to touch.

That had some acid in it, and some even worse substances.

That was now tipping over and dripping down exactly where Tony was trying to get a hold.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Loki speeding up to him, but the lab was so big, and the robot was on the other end of it, and he just knew that even the machine’s hydraulic-powered legs wouldn’t be fast enough to help him.

And then there was another thing speeding to him. Something he couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, could only feel as power, like electricity running over his skin.

It felt like everywhere there were ants running over his legs and arms and skin and then they _all bit down and he screamed and trashed and screamed even more_... he couldn’t hear himself scream... _and then blessed darkness swallowed him up._

 


	2. Prolog 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. The next one (which should be up tomorrow) will be a lot longer and introduce Steve to the fic.  
> Also - thanks to everyone who is still here for the second chapter.

Nathan stared, absolutely frozen, at where his brother had slumped down in a small bundle beside the table. He had not meant - _he hadn't hurt him, had he?_ He had just wanted to get him away from the chemicals, fearing the harm they would do his little brother. There was acid! It could have burned him, it could have ... oh, heavens, _what had he done?!_

Loki reaching the body and grouching down beside it woke him up, brought him forth to his brother’s side as well. "Tony!", he cried. "Tony, are you okay?"

There was no damage he could see, but he had long ago learned that not all injuries were visible. And his brother was so still ...

"You struck him with your gift", the robot said, and despite the situation Nathan couldn't help but again marvel at that being. Loki had come to life when he had wanted to build a robot superior to everything Midgard’s scientists could build, but not even he could have known the effect his gift had on the simple machine, that it would turn it in a sentient being that learned - and matured - at a breathtaking pace.

"I know", he whispered now, fervently searching for his brother's pulse - something the often too-smart-for-their-own-good children of Midgard had to learn in a young age - and sighing relieved when he found it, albeit too fast and fluttering like littler wings.

Getting up Loki ordered: "Stay here. I'm getting your parents."

Relieved that the robot was taking the lead - he couldn’t think of anything to do, his normally so smart head absolutely empty - Nathan could only nod, taking his brother in his arms, cradling him to his chest. "Be okay, Tony", he whispered, his voice thick with the tears running down his face. "Please, _be okay_."

He didn't know how long it took for his parents to arrive, but when they strode in - his father first, his mother only a few paces behind him - he was still sitting there on the floor, holding his brother, hoping, _praying_ that he was okay.

"It was an accident", he whispered. "I just wanted to get him away from the chemicals ..." He hadn’t wanted to _hurt_ Tony ... he would _never want_ to hurt Tony.

Dad took Tony in his own arms, searching for pulse and breath, while his mother stood there, her face white and her eyes big, her arms looped around his shoulders while Loki, who had snuck in behind them, curled in his lap like a cold hard cat trying to reassure it’s upset owner.

"It's okay, Natti", his father said eventually. "I know that you didn't want to hurt him." Then he turned to his wife. "He's a bit cold, but he seems to be okay. I just worry about the tingling of his skin ..."

"My gift", Nathan said terrified. "I struck him with my ability." His voice wavered - if Tony's skin prickled this could be electricity running through him, and that would be more than a bit dangerous.

His parents both went rigid, knowing as well as he - probably _better_ \- how bad that was.

"We have to take him to a doctor", his mother said.

Dad shook his head. "No, they won't be able to help him. We need someone who knows about the artifact's powers."

Nathan's skin began to prickle, too. It was one of the best guarded secrets of his family. Everyone else just thought he was a genius, and as strange as a genius kid normally was - a lot of kids in Midgard were smart; it was the country of the smart people. But while Nathan really _was_ smart and capable and everything, his abilities partly came from his mother being struck by the artifact's power when he was still in her womb and she was visiting the enhanced human's sanctuary. 

He had never been allowed there nor had he ever been allowed to speak about it to anybody but a very few trusted servants of the family Stark, but he knew that his gift would change the way the people would look at him. After all, he had the strangest gift that had ever developed from the artifact's touch, and he was still young, meaning it would still grow.

His father obviously had come to a decision, for he took Tony up in his arms, then nodded to his wife to take Nathan by the hand and said: "We will go to the sanctuary. Nick may know how to cure this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note - yes, many of them seem to be OC. That's because they are children still, and (at the moment) a happy family. The only person that is going to stay OC is Howard for I am a sucker for nice father figures, but then he's going to vanish anyway, so who cares?


	3. Prolog 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we meet Steve ...

When Steve was a child - no, that was not right. Steve was a child still. When Steve _was really young_ , a boy in more than just his appearance, he had been the son of Global Dynamic’s chief gardener. His mother had been the mayor’s most loved servant, and she had invited her to stay for a chat, or a tea, more often than not. After the assault that left his mother pregnant without knowledge of the father - not that she wanted to know who it was, except to have him punished for his rape - it was the mayor that supported her, and she was the one that made sure that his mother would keep her place in the company even with the son at her side (even in a country as Midgard that was progressive with it’s female rights it was hard for a pregnant woman or one who brought her child up alone to be in a leading position, and his mother had been really lucky to live in the capital Eureka and work for the biggest company the country had to boast).

So it was no surprise for anyone when the mayor set up the gardener's son as the playmate of her own son. And while Howard had been everything Steve wasn't - healthy, rich, a genius - they had been best buddies for the whole time they had known each other. They had played in the palace, or outside if Steve was feeling particularly well, or when Steve had to stay in bed Howard would come to bring him his block and his pencils so he could draw while he told him about the life outside his sickbed.

And then, one day when they had been twelve, Steve had been out with the girl he liked, Peggy, trying to woe her in this clumsy way of young boys. He remembered Howard's grin and thumbs-up, remembered the way Peggy had smiled while he searched for words for his feelings.

Remembered the sudden energy that sparked through him.

Remembered how his whole body had been alternately ice-cold and burning-hot, had felt as if he was stretched and pulled at, and just _not himself anymore_.

Remembered how Peggy had stared, absolutely horrified by what was happening, and then ran away, her loud screams incomprehensible to him and yet still to high in his ears.

Later he had been told that she didn't freak out but rather went to the next person to get help. That she returned as fast as possible. That she did not leave his side for more than a few hours for almost three months, even though it became ever more obvious that he wouldn't wake again.

Not until twenty years later, when she was long married away, his mother deceased, and Howard a changed man.

He had been hit by a force Howard explained to him as belonging to something called the artifact. He tried to explain it to Steve, but all he understood was that it was a partly sentient force that in irregularly intervals emitted power, and that animals and humans that were hit by it alike were prone to change in some way.

For Steve it had meant getting enhanced in the way he had dreamed of as a sickly youth: strong, bigger, absolutely healthy. But it also meant that it had shut his body down - fully; he hadn't even aged in the time, or needed food, had just been slow, almost unnoticeable breathing - for twenty one years. It meant that he woke up in a strange place, surrounded by strange people - _strange in more than one way_ \- and with absolutely no knowledge how he happened to be there.

It had been Nick - Director Fury for everyone outside, and inside sometimes as well - that had told him about this at first, and who had send for Howard so he could see for himself that this was real not a sick prank someone was playing.

Howard had told him what had happened a second time, and this time he believed it. After he had given in his once-and-probably-still friend had proceeded to tell him about this place he had woken up in.

At the time when Steve had fallen asleep the artifact had been not more than a rumor, like a big foot or a fairy tale. But that didn't mean there weren't people out there who were affected by it. People like Nick Fury, who looked as if he was something around forty since the day he had encountered the force almost 150 years ago. Or Clint Barton, a young boy like Steve himself (younger, to be precise, only nine), whose pregnant mother had run head over heels in the mountains and then birthed a winged kid. Or the scarlet girl they called Natasha that had been found three years ago killing a highwayman with the poison of a Black Widow (Steve had never heard of that spider before - it wasn't at home here - and no-one knew why it was this kind of poison in her teeth).

Trying to help her friend's son the mayor had searched for people who knew about the artifact's power, and when she couldn't find any, she had ordered it investigated. At this time Steve had still lain in the sickbay of the company, but ten years later Howard's wife Maria - as the wife of the new head of Global Dynamics - had founded a place for the research of the artifact and a sanctuary for it's victims as well - stating that no-one had a better reason to want it studied than them, and that everyone who wanted to study it would also want to study it's effects - a little outside Eureka. 

It was unheard of in the whole of Midgard - there had been strange people everywhere, and no-one had ever said something about it - but Maria had been adamant.

Adamant and ruthless as a lioness.

Knowing that her kid would one day live in a small country (and be one of it’s leading people seeing as most mayors came from the Stark’s family, not to mention that they were the richest family around) that, while rich and full of smart people which had invented a lot of nasty ways to surprise wanna-be invaders, was still too much of a gem that a lot of kings would want to adorn their reign with it, she had made a deal with those she offered sanctuary: They would use their unique gifts - knowledge coming from longevity, the ability to fly or to teleport or to change shape - to protect this land from harm the same way the soldiers would.

It wasn't surprising that they accepted - they were geniuses as well, a lot of them, after all, and they could do their math the same way Maria could, not to mention that it gave them a purpose in life - and they named themselves SHIELD, for they were the shield that protected Midgard and Eureka as it's capital from any harm.

Nick Fury became their official leader, and they took in everyone that wanted the protection Maria Stark's name could offer.

Steve learned all that over the course of the following two years while he slowly learned to adapt to this new time.

Apropos slowly - the time in stasis had left him another souvenir. He had been still his twelve-year-old self when he awoke, and his aging process was still slower than a normal human's. Bruce Banner, the doctor (now; before he had been a chemical professor who came out here to study the artifact, then happened to be near it during another surprising outburst and ended up with a slightly uncontrollable beast lurking under his skin that sometimes overtook his body) had told him that his aging process got faster, probably trying to reach normal human levels again (though no-one could promise him that it would stop then, so he might end up aging by the minute and being in grave within a very few years).

But that was not the thing to worry about now.

He had been outside - and, to be honest? Being able to go outside whenever he wanted without fear of catching his death was almost worth losing his time, though he was heart-broken he had never been able to say goodbye to his mom - trying to figure his way through the woods surrounding the SHIELD base as he saw the car driving along the way in a neck breaking speed.

Furrowing his brows he stared after it. That was Howard's car, he had no doubt (he had build it himself, and he took it every time he drove out here to visit Steve), but why would he drive this insanely fast? And, most of all, why would he do so when his wife and children were sitting beside him? He loved them more than the world, and yet Steve cold not deny what his enhanced eyes had shown him.

Deciding that he could explore further at a later date he took Bucky's reigns and hopped on his back. A car might be faster, but the reindeer could take the shortcut through the trees.

It didn't take him long - and he only nearly fell off twice - to reach the back door and he slipped in, running almost down to the entrance hall.

When he arrived there they had vacated it already, but Clint was still standing in a doorway, waving for him to follow, and then ran down the floor, two stairs up and in the end slipped into another room that was already occupied by a familiar red-head.

"Why don't we go down?", he whispered. They only ever used this room to spy on Nick.

"Phil send everyone away", Clint explained in hushed tones. "I do not know what happened, but it seems your buddy has some secrets as well."

Of course he had. Steve rolled his eyes. Howard was the owner of the biggest company of Eureka, no, of whole Midgard. One had to be naive (or maybe a 9-year old) to believe he didn't have anything he kept hidden. Not even he was that naive.

Natasha seemed to agree with him for she just rolled her eyes herself, then continued to watch the screen in front of her.

And though he didn't want to spy on his old friend, he couldn't help himself to watch with her.

 


	4. Prolog 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Shouldn't happen again.

Sometimes Nick felt really old. He had been living for almost two centuries now, and he supposed that he was entitled to feel so, but in the end it had less to do with his age and more with the things that happened around him.

Looking down at the small body of the Stark-kid he sighted.

"Dr Banner?", he asked.

The man, onc e only here to study them, now part of their family, sighed and straightened out of his crouch beside the couch. "There is electricity running through him as you thought. It's not really acting as it normally would - the charge should have left his body long ago - but I imagine that is due to it originate from the artifact."

"Is there no way to heal him?", Stark asked and Maria had her hand over her mouth while the older kid pressed himself against her legs, obviously afraid of what he had done.

Nick sighed, then crouched down before the kid, indicating with his hand that it should come forward. When it did so he reached for it's hands, knowing it would take it as a gesture of assurance and never suspect that he was feeling for the fast beating pulse.

"Have you tried to hurt your brother?", he asked, his voice calm and soft.

A stutter in the regular beat, but the big eyes, the obvious outrage that followed told him that the boy was telling the truth when he said: "He's my brother! I would never hurt my little brother!"

Nick smiled, used his strength to keep the hands the boy tried to get back, drawing small calming circles with his thumbs. "That is good", he told the boy. "Your gift follows your wishes. If you do not wish to harm it will not do so."

Though he seemed to be too young to control the strength of his ability. He should have grown up with them, but on the other side - he was a  _ Stark _ . If it was known that he was one of them he might lose his credibility inside the scientific community, most of all if it came to light what his gift was.

"Is there no way to help Tony?", Maria asked again, and Nick stood up after a last reassuring press of the small hands before he turned to her. 

"There is. Mr. Coulson is already getting our newest ..." it was an experiment, not fully tested, but it was better to  _ not _ tell this to the already worried parents. "machine", he decided in the end. "It will take the remaining power of the artifact and then we will see if there has damage been done." Or that was the theory, at least. It had worked, as he knew, in two of three experiments. But they had no time to lose -  _ the boy  _ had no time to lose.

Keeping his thoughts hidden behind a calm - or maybe angry; he had been told more than once that his calm face looked as if he was angry - facade he turned to the door where Phil entered with the  _ Defroster III _ (they weren't good at naming, and this name had stuck after the first successful experiment with Elsa, the woman who could make ice out of her hands). However the machine was around as big as a microwave, and Phil was rolling it in on a cart.

The man closed the door behind himself, then looked up, his face decorated with a reassuring smile. It looked so sincere that all the Starks relaxed slightly and he smiled even wider a bit when he helped Bruce to connect the machine to the younger boy.

It was better not to tell them that this man, while neither being gifted by the artifact nor a scientist, was one of the deadliest assassins of the world. Nick had met him in his live thrice - two times when he had tried to kill him (unknowing that his would-be victim was given durability by the artifact nor that his age made him an expert in survival.)

The third time had been to inform him that the price on his head had been lifted and to invite him for a drink.

When Maria Stark asked him to use their abilities to protect Midgard - meaning her kids, or at least that was what she was after however she had phrased it - he had thought back to this man and had invited him to stay with them. 

Together with another friend of Phil - a spy named Maria Hill - the both of them had managed to form them in a - mostly in intel-gathering specialized - force to be reckoned with.

For everyone else Phil was just Nick's right hand for the paper work and Maria a smart assistant that liked to live dangerous.

"And it won't hurt Tony?", Stark asked and Nick focused back on the present.

"It won't, Mr. Stark", he said, knowing that he should use more words to reassure the man but knowing that there wasn't anything else to say. Though at least he knew that the worst-case-scenario was that nothing happened, but to say so probably wasn't going to help them in this situation either.

"I'm activating the machine now", Bruce said and they were really lucky that he man had worked with the team that had invented the  _ Defroster _ . Else he would have had to bring another person in, and the less people knew about this, the better (though he was sure that at least Rogers had to suspect - he was Stark's oldest friend).

A quiet light warmed up were the  _ Defroster _ rested, run along the cables and then slowly began to encompass the whole body on the table. Nick wasn't an expert, but from what he knew the orange color wasn't good - it meant that there was still a lot of the artifact in the powers feeding off the small body. 

Without letting the parents know - Stark wasn't that much of a problem, but Maria could be very observant, though he suspected not right now when her attention was fixed to her son - he shared a look with Banner, finding there a similar worry. Slowly the doctor pushed another lever down, increasing the intensity of whatever it was that drew the force out.

For a long, long moment nothing happened, and Nick was almost ready to give up, to admit their failure to the parents when the light did begin to change color - a pale green bleeding into the gold tone, getting stronger - first at the core but spreading out to the limbs. It grew stronger the longer it went, turning from green to emerald to a deep sapphire blue.

Relieved Nick let the breath he had been holding out through his nose. Better the parents never knew how narrow it had been, nor the boy - especially the boy.

Apropos - maybe he should have some words with the boy. Just to make sure this never happened again.


	5. Prolog 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter hurt. Really.   
> Killing my favorite character off ...

Nathan sat on the chair in his room, staring unseeing out of the window. He could hear Tony outside, running around, asking for him to come play with him. Of course, his brother did not know why he had to leave him alone, why he couldn't come play with him anymore.

Shivering Nathan stared down at his own hands, imagined them stained with blood. He had only ever thought of his ability as something another would be jealous of, never  _ never _ had he thought it to be something that could harm those he loved.

"Nathan?" 

He didn't turn even though he knew that the robot - the only one he wasn't afraid of hurting - would be worried even more by his silence. Instead he remembered the night before, and the man - the director - and what he had told him ...

_ This dark eye focused on him, and only him, and he began to speak with this voice like a giant out of the fairy tales: "You bear a great power within you, young man, and it is still growing", he had said. "That brings about great joy, but also great danger. You have to learn to control it, boy. Because if you don't it is not you that will suffer but those near to you - those you care about." He had shaken his head in a slow motion. "You have to learn of your power. If you were anyone else I would offer you a place here, but within the scientific community it will be better if you return with your parents. But remember, Nathan - if you need help, we are here to help you." _

A hand stroked over his shoulder, petted his neck. "Are you okay, Nathan?" Loki's voice sounded uncertain, young, so unlike his usual mischievous self that had Nathan gifting him with the name of a trickster god.

Wriggling his head like a cat under Nathan's arm he came around eventually, not looking up but being a silent comfort.

And suddenly Nathan knew what he had to do.

"My powers ... my powers hurt my brother", he began slowly, but without hesitation. If he did not do this now, he wouldn't be able to follow through with it.

Loki made a humming sound in acknowledgment, obviously decided to just letting him talk.

"My powers ... Director Fury said, they will just grow. And that they can be dangerous to my family again." His voice sounded determined now, and from Loki's sudden stiffness he knew that he had caught on - the robot had always been very smart. "I can't risk that - I can't risk harming them again." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry - I'm  _ so sorry _ , Loki, but ... I can't use my powers anymore, and that means ..."

The small face was suddenly directly before him, a hand pressing against his cheek. "I do understand.", Loki whispered. "I do understand. I love you, Nathan. If it makes you happy ... just promise me ... promise me you won't forget me. And should you ever ... don't forget me, Nathan. Don't forget the love and happiness we shared, yes?"

What was Nathan supposed to say, to _do_ in the face of such unselfish love? He wrapped his arms around the robot, pressed his face into the hard and cold and velvety neck. “I won’t. I’ll never forget you, Loki”, he whispered. “Never, I promise.” His voice was thick with the tears running down his cheeks, his chest warm from the love he felt for his companion and cold from the thought of losing him forever. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t”, Loki replied. “Just ... be happy. I would give a lot more than my life to know you are. Be happy for me, Nathan, yes?”

“Yes”, he promised. “I’ll ... I’ll be happy.” How could he be happy, knowing that within himself he carried a power capable of hurting his family, and that the only way to keep them safe was to lose one of the two best friend he ever had had? 

But he couldn’t disappoint the little robot that was about to give his life for his happiness. “I promise - I’ll be happy. And I’ll never forget you.” Before he could change his mind he took the current of power connecting him to the robot - and tore it apart. He felt the lively creature still, than he wasn’t hugging a machine anymore but some metal parts that fell apart when he let lose. 

He had once read a story about a girl whose teddy bear was being turned in a hundred hairy spiders. 

Looking down at the metal in his lap he could understand what she had felt. This ... this _parts_ , they weren’t Loki. They were like parts of a corpse, like carrion, and he _couldn’t stand it_ _even_ _one moment longer_.

Jumping up to his feet he looked down at the remains - at the empty green lenses that once were  so  expressive eyes - of his most trusted companion and even being only a kid he knew - he  _ knew _ \- that he wasn’t worthy of such love, of such sacrifice. 

“I’ll be happy. I promise. And I’ll never forget you.”

He ran out of his room, away from his shame, only to find that he couldn’t escape from what he had done.

 


	6. Growing up 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a bit short. But the next chapter is already finished and will be updated soon.

Live was strange, Tony thought. He remembered days he spent almost exclusively with his brother and the robot his brother had made, Loki, doing nothing but going scientif ic wild in the lab, or even the floors and the garden, but then, from one day to the next - everything changed. Ok, yes, his brother had been short of time some months before then, too, but ... suddenly he had  _ no time at all _ for him. More - he wasn't even using the lab anymore. Henry, Nate's former teacher in science, was replaced by a stern looking older man that Tony couldn't stand, but to spent time with his brother he would have endured him, just - he wasn't allowed to. Mr. Stane taught his brother the secrets of maintaining a company, and he was unhappy enough as he had to teach one child without another getting under his feet.

And so Nate became almost a stranger for Tony.

But that wasn't the worst - or, really, it  _was_ , but there was more to it. Because suddenly Tony had too much free time and no-one to spend it with. He wasn't allowed in the lab alone - had never been, but with his brother to look after him his parents had allowed the two of them together in there without adult supervising.

Now? All he was allowed to do was sit quietly next to a chemist in the main company building, or the odd hour or two when his mother or father were able to get the time free to look after him. 

There was no reason to ask the servants - they were as intelligent as everyone else was in Midgard, but they had no scientif ic training beyond high school, and Tony had already exceeded that. And a teacher for his own was something he wouldn't get until he was eight, same as his brother, and by then he would have died of boredom.

And anyone else ... he had scoffed the other kids so long, had ignored them and treated them as if they were inferior (which they were) that they didn't want to play with him. Even worse was that he sometimes sat in his room, looking out of the window, and watched Nate laughing with older kids - some fourteen, fiveteen. He was being accepted as he was by that kids - all the most intelligent of their ages, and none even close to Nate as far as Tony was concerned. There was a reason they had never played with someone else - both of Howard Stark's kids were small geniuses. 

Sighing he jumped down from the window sit. He was tired of sitting there, watching his brother getting taken away by dumb children who didn't even understand  non-linear maths . Rather he would let himself getting pulled in into their mother's preparation for the next party - a party neither he or Nate were allowed to attend to.

 


	7. Growing up 2

Staying away from his little brother hurt. They had been together for as long as Nathan could remember. Playing, experimenting, learning. There had never been a day they hadn't seen each other, and even when they were mad with each other they couldn't leave - they stayed and insulted and tricked until one of them gave in and they were science brothers - how Tony had dubbed it - again.

But no more. Now, Nathan had to stay  _away_ from Tony - his ability was getting stronger almost by the day, and when he was near Tony it was even more difficult to control. He feared that he would hurt his brother, his best friend, and he knew - simply  _knew_ \- that he wouldn't be able to live with himself anymore when he harmed him. 

But between Mr. Stane, their father's assistant - an old slimy man that Nathan could tolerate only half of the time, but who was very knowledgeable when it came to maintaining a company made up of scientists without any sense of money and gain - and his fear to hurt Tony or his parents he was left with a lot of free time. Time he filled with new friends like that girl two years older than him, Alison, who had scoffed the science traditions of her family - her father was the inventor of the absolute clean toilet that was used by everyone in Midgard - and now tried to become the youngest security chief Global Dynamics had ever had - not that Nathan had even the slightest doubt that she would achieve this.

The other guy he was enough interested in to even think about calling him friend was actually his own age and what fascinated Nathan about him was mostly his ability to get into trouble. Really, give Fargo a chewing gum and lock him in an empty room, and he will find a way to create a world-threatening disaster. It was really just to keep Midgard safe that Nathan didn't allow Fargo to leave his side, and not that he missed his brother's enthusiastic company.

Beyond Alison and Fargo Nathan spend time with the other kids of his class - every single one older than him, even in a land as Midgard that sorted kids in school after accomplishments, not age. But there was no-one that came even close to being called a friend, seeing as all of them seemed to be freaked out by this boy that was so much smarter than them but simply didn't wish to be a scientist.

Oh, how would they have reacted had they known how much Nathan longed to do science?! To research all the secrets the universe still kept from them? When they were in the lab he could barely contain himself to stroke over burner and metal and chemical kit, each shape so comfortingly familiar that he remembered the days spend wholly in his own lab, alone bar Tony and Loki.

It was at that moment he always had to stop his thoughts, for thinking about the mischievous robot always,  _always_ made him feel guilty, and he had promised Loki that he would try to be happy.

_But I can't. I can't, Loki, not for as long as I am cursed by this artifact's gift._

Of course he tried to control the ability, called on it sometimes and focused it on this or that machine, but with the first break-out of the talent he seemed to have lost his ability to control it. Always,  _always_ it ended with broken parts and free discharging electricity, with waste and tears.

It got worse. Once, when he was particular agitated for Fargo had almost nuked the school lab - with a potassium permanganate solution - and he came home to find his parents converse with a strange man regarding Tony's future - the man insisting they should send his little brother to a boarding school to contain the foolishness that had him steal a car and driving it around the city, or sleeping his drunkenness off in the forest, or even that one time he - at the age of eleven - was found with a girl almost twice as old in a compromising situation, the girl claiming he had been the one molesting her - he almost fully lost control, his talent sparking out from him and making the whole living room come alive. Fortunately the man didn't suspect anything, but the next day his father brought him a pair of leather gloves that helped him keep his talent inside.

He got odd looks at that new custom, but no-one asked him - they knew better by now than to question him. All except Fargo, of course, but at least the boy was easily distracted.

So really, he had a live. A good live, even, and with the gloves on he felt a bit bolder, even allowed himself to go out a bit more, meet girls he liked - just to find out that he preferred boys and then going out with some nice and smart examples of that gender - and simply have as nice a time as he could get. On some very few occasions, when he wasn’t busy doing whatever Mr. Stane asked him to - really, he felt much as if he was his assistant, but then he shouldn’t complain if he wanted to be Global Dynamics next director - or fooling around a bit with the boy he had ensnared at the moment, or spending time with Alison and Fargo - yes, they stayed his friends through the years, being the ones he could relay on the most even though he never dared to expose his secret to him - he would even allow his parents to invite him to a family dinner that involved more than just sitting together at the table and vanishing after that but also talking to his estranged brother.

He would find him lonely, and begging for his attention, but less so the more years passed, and the pressure of the wall that grew between them, becoming ever more cold and strong and spiky the less they knew each other anymore, drove him away even more, made him dread these meetings for whole other reasons.

And still, still, he loved his brother. Loved him more than Fargo and Alison and whichever boy shared his bed at the moment, or even his parents. And he feared what might happen if he ever let go of the barely managed control he had over his talent.

 


	8. Growing up 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony may have found the wrong friends ...

Tony had been alone after his brother left him for his new friends - most of all that girl - Alison - and the little rat that had taken up Tony's place as Nathan's closest confident. But no more of that. He had new friends himself now, friends that wouldn't leave him as long as he invited them in to the parties his mother gave - she never bothered much how many people were there, and ever since being allowed to at the age of twelve he could come to them - and bring as many guests as he wanted.

But it was more than just partying. A girl named Jenna had taught him how to successfully short a car and ever since then they were taking trips down the road. Jack took him drinking into pubs that didn't care much beyond their customer's wallet. He learned sky diving with the twins, and riding with Fred. And if he paid for anything - who cared? At least he wasn't sitting alone in his room at the end of each day, dreaming about what he could do.

And no Sir, he never, ever felt alone with them.

“Are you coming?”

His head whipped around when he heard Jenna asking and he grinned when he saw that she had already opened the door - she was really good at opening locked doors, may it be car doors or the door to a garage that was meant to keep a car locked securely away.

Seeing that the lock was already taken care of Tony sneaked near. This was his part - not that he had any doubt about his ability to do it. He had done it several times already, as Jenna and he were lending out cars for years now. Really, after that first time when he tried it himself - and promptly drove the mercedes against a wall - he had been almost ready to give up on his dream to escape the boredom, but then Jack had found him, slumping in a corner of the Central Park and trying to drink his brain cells away, and he had introduced him to his friends who adopted him as if he were a mix of a adorable pet and a money-shitting donkey. Not that he cared - he had numbers in his cell phone now, and someone to go to when he couldn’t stand being locked up at home anymore.

That Jenna taught him to drive and took him thundering down the streets in much too expensive and fast cars was just a bonus, really.

“Are you doing your trick, magic fingers, or are you waiting for something?”, Jenna teased him out of his thoughts and he returned to the task at hand: Disabling the alarm system.

Seeing as they were in Eureka it was one that would have burned every other’s burglar’s fingers, but Tony wasn’t any burglar. He was Howard Stark’s son, even more of a genius than his father - or his idiotic brother - and there was no alarm system on this world that he couldn’t hack. And he proofed so again within minutes, then gave Jenna a wink that she could open the doors.

Used to this by now Jenna oiled the hinges, then opened them without much of a noise. Shorting the car and driving the smooth running Ferrari out of the garage was child’s play, and soon they were driving down the highway at a speed that wasn’t allowed, but - who cared? Maybe there was police out there - Sheriff Jo Lupo was pretty persistent in trying to catch them - but they knew enough to wear gloves and face masks so they weren’t recognizable anymore.

And that there was still a bit of a risk ... that made it just better, really. Knowing that at every time they could be caught, or run in a police car and have to get away from it in a car chase ... it had only happened that once, but Tony had really  _really_ liked the feeling of leaving the police car behind.

The night was warm and the stars shone brightly (the astronomers would have had their politician’s heads had the scientists not found a way to control light pollution) and without the hood that was one of the best car rides he ever had, even though he had to wait for his turn to be at the wheel. strands of his hair were whipping around his head in the sharp wind, and he had never felt this  _free_ .

“You were right”, he screamed over to Jenna - yes, the music was on. Yes, it was AC/DC. Yes, it was loud enough to wake everyone but then there was no-one here, wasn’t there? - “We should have gone for that car much earlier!”

Jenna laughed right back, but cautioned: “That’s the mayor’s car. He will be mayorly upset when he finds out.”

Tony just shrugged. Mayor or not mayor, who cared? The man wouldn’t be able to find them anyway. “We can lay low after that for a bit”, he offered though he already missed the thrill of breaking in and riding lend-out cars.

Worrying her lip for a moment Jenna paused, then nodded. “It would be better, I think. Just until the storm has calmed down.”

Sighing Tony focused back on the street - he had to practically beg Jenna to let him drive the car of this night, as they both knew they would probably never an opportunity to get their hands on such a baby again, and she only let him drive the way back.

When they neared the town again Tony stopped the music and took his cd out - not that there weren’t better ways to store music, but a cd wasn’t as easily tracked as an usb-stick - then put it back in his luggage. Much slower than he would have liked he drove back to the house, then cut the engine when they were standing before the garage door.

“Drive’s ended, Mylady”, he said to Jenna who just laughed and then opened the door to get out of the car.

They left the ferrari standing in front of the house, knowing that to put it back would just place them in danger and that the owners would probably know that it had been used anyway. Walking down the streets as if nothing was wrong, still high from the adrenaline rush, they never noticed the set of eyes that followed them from behind a window.


	9. Growing up 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James notices something he wasn't supposed to ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe how long it took me to get this one up ... had a severe writer's block due to some bad news at the beginning of the year, and could only write my frostiron-story after that. But I still have a lot of ideas for this story, so I'm very determined to finish it.
> 
> Hope you like the chapter.

The first time James saw the scrawny Stark-kid, he thought of privileges, chaos and trouble, for  _genius_ and  _rich_ kids had always been that for him. Not that he himself was poor or dumb - he may not have been the genius everyone else was but at least he had the common sense everyone else seemed to be  _lacking_ , and his parents made good money being politician and police officer - but he found that those who were rich seemed to think themselves even better than the rest of the geniuses, mostly because of their private teachers and advanced study possibilities.

So it was no wonder that he and Tony never spoke more than maybe four words in a row for the first three years of their acquaintance, despite sharing a lot of their classes - James wasn't sure why the boy, brilliant as he was, never skipped more than the two classes he did to come into James' class. Really, the only classes they  _didn't_ have together were the science ones - at least Tony went to the advanced curses.

But despite that he knew next to nothing of the other boy. Oh, of course he knew what he was able to see - that he was smart beyond believe, charming enough to have most of the class in the palm of his hand, and that he was fully, utterly alone. For while he was always surrounded by teachers and students alike as soon as he set foot on school ground, he only rarely left with anyone, or accepted invitations to anything but public parties or kids discos.

James was only 14 years old himself when he came to know Anthony Stark as more than a brilliant, hollow guy, but he shuddered at the kind of life the boy must be living.

 

In the end, what changed everything was a chance look out of a window.

He had been up all night chatting with a friend from the other side of the world about baseball - you  _really_ needed to  _leave_ the country to even find enough people interested in sports to found a baseball team - when the friend had to go and he wandered off with the vague idea of getting a glass of orange juice before retiring himself when he stood there, in the kitchen, and saw the light from the garage.

Wondering what that was about he went over to the window and pushed the flowery curtains aside - just to see his father's car driving out of the door.

Startled he blinked for a moment - why would his father go out at this time? He was the mayor, and no-one needed the mayor at  _night_ . And even if they did, why didn't he hear him get ready for it?

Lessons taught by bad TV spoke in his ear but he dismissed them; there was no way his father cheated on his mother, not after all this years they had spend so happily with each other. Still, just to make sure what he suspected was true he went up to his parent's bedroom, listened for a moment - there were several situations in which he wouldn't want to surprise them,  _thank you_ \- before quietly opening the door and peeking inside.

As he had suspected his parents were still there, lying side by side and breathing deeply in what he assumed was deep sleep. At least until his mother looked up and asked: "Anything amiss, Jamey?" She had this sense that seemed to be common in every mother that told her when her son was there.

Or trying to sneak out for a forbidden late-night party with his friends, mostly Virginia.

"No, everything’s fine. Just wanted to check you're here", he answered and slipped back out before she could ask questions. While he went up to his room he pondered why he hadn't reported that the thieve she had tried to catch for months now - the one that stole cars only to go on fast rides through the night and then brought them back some time before dawn, the one smart and inventive enough to make sure he left no traces even the best of Eureka's scientist could follow - had now gone after his father's car.

His father's.

Not his mother's.

It couldn't be about making a statement, but rather about the quality of the car, for his mother the cop drove a middle class VW, while his father drove one of the best speeds cars Midgard produced. Not one that could actually fly - there weren't so much of them as they still hadn't figured out a way to control how high they flew, and how best to apply traffic rules to them - but in other countries it wouldn't be allowed on a public street, not with the backwater crash-avoiding systems they had.

Or was it? A statement? That this thieve could even steal the major's car, that nothing kept him out?

Without conscious thought James stopped and went down again where he slipped in his coat and a pair of thick shoes - it wasn't cold out there per se, but he only wore his pajamas and expected to be waiting for quite some time - before he took a key from the board and slipped out as quietly as possible through the back door - front door was nearer, but the back door was better oiled and he wasn't in any kind of hurry.

It only took a couple of minutes to walk around the house and find a spot hidden enough to keep anyone from noticing him - he figured whoever had managed to hack the security system of the house wouldn't be dumb enough to try put the car back in the garage, not when it was state-of-the-art and the cop who wanted to catch them most was living under the same roof.

Once there he barely could contain a groan - he should have brought his handy, or a book or something to entertain himself - he would be bored to  _death_ long before the thieve would be back ... but he couldn't step back inside, not without risking getting caught by his parents.

Eye-rolling at his own stupidity he picked a place on the stonewall a few paces down his hiding spot and jumped up - when he had to wait he could at least do so without his legs falling off. Leaning back against the metal fence he slumped together, his arms braced on his knees, and closed his eyes to better focus on the sounds of the night.

And then he waited.

And waited.

And  _waited_ .

There wasn't much that happened in a good upstanding neighborhood like their's - all the mad scientists were a few streets down where the wind was better or the water run smoother or just feng shui told them it was better to work - really, James had no idea what made those crazy people do what they did - so the only distractions from his boredom were the barking of dogs, the shrieks of the Kent's alligastor-cat, and the swearing of someone who must have overlooked the newest web of Peter. The giant spider was harmless - he was being fed rabbits and rats - but as he was created to produce a new kind of fiber his webs had a scary durability. If not for the fact that he knew that Peter wouldn't hurt the poor victim - he had been caught as well, one time - James would have helped him, but ...

The absence of light together with the distinct sound of his father's car made him realize that the thieve was back.

At once he jumped down from the wall and vanished in his hiding spot.

Not a moment too early - his contemplation if he should help the spider's victim had distracted him enough that the car was almost upon him before he had realized it.

Glancing through the heavy leaved bush he watched as the car was abandoned on the sidewalk - the thieve had obviously had the same thought as James himself and decided to not try to get the car all the way back into the garage - and two persons went out.

They were masked, heavily clothed and wearing gloves. In the dark he couldn't really make out more than their height - one was maybe 1,75, the other barely 1,50 - and the fact that the larger one was a female with long dark hair while the other was male or maybe a much younger girl - could be both, given the height - but the he heard the small one say a few words and there was no mistaking Anthony Stark's voice for something else in the world.

Just - why the fuck did the little rich genius fucker fuck his future up with this stupid not-outright theft?

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you liked.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked. If you did, feel free to leave a comment


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